Mission Statement

The National Academy of Arbitrators was founded in 1947 as a not-for-profit honorary and professional organization of arbitrators in the United States and Canada. Members are chosen by involved parties to hear and decide thousands of labor management arbitration cases each year in private industry, the public sector and non-profits in both countries.

Labor Management arbitrators are guided by the Professional Code of Responsibility for Arbitrators of Labor-Management Disputes. NAA members are being called upon to arbitrate employment claims in the non-collective bargaining sector. Cases arising under an employer promulgated arbitration plan require particular vigilance on the part of arbitrators to ensure procedural fairness and to protect the integrity and reputation of workplace arbitration. These Guidelines, together with the Due Process Protocol endorsed by the Academy, the American Bar Association, the American Arbitration Association and other interested agencies, are intended to assist arbitrators in deciding whether to accept a case and to provide guidance as to how such a case might be fairly conducted and concluded. They supplement the Code of Professional Responsibility for Arbitrators of Labor-Management Disputes. Members who undertake employment disputes must be alert to other applicable codes of ethics (e.g. code of Ethics for Arbitrators in Commercial Disputes) federal and state statutes or regulations, or any other ethical code or rules adopted by the parties.

The Academy’s sole purpose and mission is both educational and fraternal. As a friend of the court, the Academy has participated in appellate litigation in both the United States and Canada where major issues affecting the institution of arbitration are involved. It also works cooperatively with sister organizations such as government agencies, professional organizations, institutions, and learned societies in the field of labor-management and employment relations.

The Academy sponsor’s annual meetings, which are open to all who wish to attend and feature speakers who are labor-management and employment relations practitioners, arbitrators, judges, government officials, and law school and university professors.

The Southwest Region was established in or around the late 1940’s and has recently merged with the Rockies Region into forming the SW Rockies Region. There are several other Regions under the umbrella of the NAA. The SW Rockies Region sponsors annual regional labor management and employment conferences either in Dallas, Texas or Houston, Texas for the sole purpose of educating arbitrators and advocates. Admission standards into the NAA are rigorous in keeping with the goal of establishing and fostering the highest standards of integrity and competence. The NAA encourages Labor Management and Employment arbitrators to apply for membership.

The National Academy currently has 573 members in the United States and Canada. The SW Rockies Region currently has 42 members.

NAASWR Mission

The Southwest Region was established in or around the late 1940’s and has recently merged with the Rockies Region into forming the SW Rockies Region. There are several other Regions under the umbrella of the NAA. READ MORE